Got Wood? If Not, It’ll Cost Ya

Every day it seems there is another casualty or inconvenience brought on by this crazy COVID-19 pandemic. First it was hard to find toilet paper, then hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes and now there is a big shortage on lumber.

It seems that with all the down time many people had due to pandemic shutdowns, many decided it might be a good time to do a little remodeling around the house and/or lake cabin. Of course, the housing boom just before the pandemic hit didn't help the situation much.

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According to KARE 11 prices on lumber are way up there right now and not expected to come down anytime soon. Recently  saw sheets of plywood in a store going for around $95 dollars each. That's up from about $35 before the pandemic hit.   "Since last April, lumber costs have spiked 180%, according to the National Association of Home Builders, increasing the cost of building an average home by $24,386," KARE noted. That's pretty high!

Last week I was on I-94 and saw a guy pulling a trailer with lumber stacked about 8 feet high. I was thinking he should be transporting that load in an armored car.

Various supply chains have been slow to respond during the pandemic and building supply stores are in short supply of the coveted lumber.   "It’s a perfect storm of high demand and low infrastructural capacity," the KARE 11 story noted.

The price of most lumber is expected to last for awhile so , if you are in need to build something, you may want to consider alternative materials to get the job done. Building a deck?  Maybe try some of that vinyl planking.  I've heard good things.

(KARE 11)